This invention provides longitudinally collapsible kites capable of being folded into compact durable packages and capable of reliable performance over a wide range of wind conditions. In one form the invention provides a "rescue" kite capable of being assembled and launched under adverse circumstances to carry aloft a radio antenna or radar reflector for communication with rescuers or others.
Kites, due to their flimsy nature and need for long elements, are delicate and difficult to transport or store. On the other hand they are aerodynamically of sensitive design, and therefore difficult to construct in form suitable for wide-ranging wind conditions.
In my U.S. Pat. No. 3,570,791, I provided a kite employing a collapsible air-filled tubular keel. While this construction has proved operable, under certain circumstances the relatively large tube has adversely affected performance either in launch or in flight. Among the objects of the invention are to provide an aerodynamically superior, longitudinally collapsible kite, and to provide a portable radio antenna kite package suitable for use by persons at sea or in the wilderness, as well as in recreational applications.